Fair is foul, foul is fair
by ETR101
Summary: Being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi gave Naruto a few abilities but one that stood out. To some it would be a blessing but for Naruto...it curses him. Things take an unusual turn during the team assignments. Rated M for later.
1. Enter! Uzumaki Naruto

Fair is foul, foul is fair

Disclaimer – I have no ownership over Naruto or his groupies.

A/N – The title is something I picked up after reading a certain play. I liked the saying so… yeah. I'm sure you all can figure out its meaning. I also changed a few things. For example, please completely disregard the canon map for the forest of Death. I made up my own which will be explained in this chapter.

* * *

"Who's there?"

Gasps were heard as a boy abruptly rose from his slumber, beads of sweat pouring down his face. Uzumaki Naruto was not a child that boasted about his lack of nightmares, as he was a haunted one. He didn't know why he dreamed of such things as he was innocent to such acts.

Naruto looked around; familiar with the room he slept in and sighed. "Again…" – He whispered softly to himself. The blonde brought his hands to his face to wipe the sweat. The child then got off his bed and began to stalk over to his bathroom.

Switching the flip to activate the lights, he took a good look at his own face. Signs of insomnia showing clearly on his face. Baggy eyes, blood shot pupils and a headache the size of the Kyuubi forming in his thirteen year old head.

Taking a deep breathe, he let cold water flow from his faucet, allowing a moment for it took ring in his ears. He liked the sound of water… so pure and it flows so naturally as if without a care in the world. He then took his hands and got a handful of water, splashing it into his face to force himself out the slump.

Leaving the bathroom, he took a look at the clock.

4:54 am… 4:55 am…

The blonde sighed. It was such a redundant cycle of waking at the same time every single day since the moment he was able to think straight. Naruto went to his closet and picked out a simple black shirt and dark green shorts, both having a spiral design somewhere on its surface. Walking out of his closet, he took out his earphones and a music player, an item that the Hokage had gotten for him many years ago. Apparently, it was the newest thing that the Konoha R&D department had created. It was the best thing that happened to the world since television.

Of course for Naruto, this thing was his life saver in a way. It allowed him to guide and channel his focus through music… nice and calming music.

The blonde sighed again and grabbed his jet black colored goggles. The surface of which was slightly tinted in order to hide his tired eyes from the world.

Walking out of his trashy apartment, he descended the stairs with equal steps, each precise and directly in front of the other. Naruto lived on the top floor of his apartment, giving him a great balcony and view. Not like he ever got a chance to appreciate such things of course.

After five minutes of walking, he found his way to the nearest training ground. Smirking as he saw the hole he had created in one of the fences to enter.

Training ground 44, the Forest of Death. Home to the vilest organisms in the country of fire. Poisonous plants, gigantic monsters, more or less the more dangerous things in the world.

And the boy felt right at home.

Making his way to the beginning levels of the forest that covered many kilometers, he began to warm up. Naruto didn't want to go too far into the forest yet; after all, he still needed to make his way back to the shinobi academy for classes.

Stretching, he began his warm up.

"_I have four hours here before the academy even begins... Mind as well start with those katas…"_

* * *

_The Forest of Death is the most dangerous training ground in Konoha. Only the bravest shinobi dare enter it beyond level 6 and few survives if it comes to that point. Training ground 44 is a measured place that allowed shinobi to measure themselves appropriately. _

_There are 9 full levels in this deadly forest. Each of them bigger than the next and with warnings in between each level._

_Level 1 is a ground for the green as grass genin whom wish to find a calm place to practice and to warm up. _

_Level 2 is a ground for the slightly more experienced genin whom wish to train with more powerful techniques but with the reassurance of no dangers. _

_Level 3 is a place where chuunins come to gather experience through fighting random monsters that inhabit the forest. Some of them including snakes and spiders, all relatively the size of small trees. This is also where the tower resides. _

_Level 4 is a ground for Jounin whom are yet to be experienced in the field. Monsters of higher levels roam here freely but are often difficult to find. _

_Level 5 is an extension of its previous level. The only difference is the location of wild animals and the level of their difficulty. This is where the cursed plants are and the home to gigantic snakes. Snakes the size of houses slither here, waiting to devour their prey. There are more than a few corpses here…_

_Level 6, also known as the midway point, is where the true Jounin come to test their skills at a relatively equal level. No one under the level of Jounin dares come here without supervision. _

_As for beyond level 6… well, it's no man's land. _

_Level 7 is known as the nest. This is the home to some of the most dangerous creatures in Fire Country and is safely many miles away from the village. Giant grizzly bears, snakes, leopards, tapirs… hell, it's also known as the training ground of the greats. _

_Level 8 is a forbidden area. This is where Orochimaru was discovered by the Sandaime Hokage… truly a cursed ground and also the extension of Level 7. There are rumors that speak of a great beast that roams here, feeding off the local animals. This level is also known as the great maze. _

_Level 9… is an unknown ground. Only five shinobi in history had ever been able to come here and survive its dangers. The first of course…was the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the only true man to have conquered it. The second was the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama. The third was Orochimaru of the Sannin, of course he only did it due to a bet that was made between his teammates. He had gotten out of the place with several blood gashes and a few natural diseases. The fourth was well… the Yondaime Hokage, a man who went in without a scratch… and left with more than a few cuts. The fifth was Uchiha Itachi, the greatest prodigy to have ever come out of Konoha. Like Orochimaru, not even his eyes protected him from the merciless wrath of Mother Nature. _

_Not many shinobi dared enter through the last 3 levels, let alone go into level 6 itself._

_The Forest of Death… a natural phenomenon that confuses even the smartest in the world. It is one of the seven great wonders of the world. _

* * *

_Level 2 – Forest of Death_

Sounds of collected breathing was heard in the area, signs of training being conducted more likely than others. In this case, Uzumaki Naruto was just finishing up his morning warm ups and light training. He was nowhere near his limit but he didn't want to risk falling asleep in class once again. Why? Because his teacher Iruka was pretty annoying once a lecture starts. He wasn't exactly in the good graces of the village… and he didn't need any more enemies.

Taking a look at the sky, deducing the approximate time it was, he promptly left the forest and jogged lightly to the academy. Thankfully, both places were nearby the other.

Naruto didn't even sense the presence of the two ANBU behind him, both impressed by his little regime.

* * *

_Academy_

"HAHAHAHA! HOW WAS THAT PIG!" Naruto sighed as he sensed the presence of two of the loudest students in the history of Konoha. One of which was Haruno Sakura, an egotistical kunoichi in training and without a doubt, a fan girl of Uchiha Sasuke. The only bright side that she had was her ability to study all day and night… and ace all of their paper tests. Naruto nodded in approval at the thought, not everyone was capable of fighting off the bane of paperwork and Sakura's resume was beyond great for it. The second voice belonged to one Yamanaka Ino, Sakura's rival and the "popular" one of the school. While she was good at paperwork, she had nothing on Sakura. But what Sakura didn't have was Ino's field capabilities. The blonde girl was adept at fighting and was definitely a great fit as a teammate if Naruto had to choose.

Of course, those good sides did not have anything on their loud voices. The blonde's ears were ringing at the sheer volume. He turned his head when he heard a sigh escaping the mouth of another classmate, a boy with black that was tied in a ponytail.

"You know Shikamaru, if you don't wanna be here, you can always fake sickness." Naruto said, eliciting a snort from the boy.

"Maah… my mom would throw a fit if she found out and that would be too…"

"Troublesome." Naruto finished for him and chuckled. The kid was a friend of his, seeing as how they shared the same desk for nearly three years. They didn't speak much but they were comfortable enough to share opinions of random things that came up.

"Tch, why do you always…"

"Finish your sentences?" Naruto said in the middle of his sentence, grinning at the suddenly annoyed Nara.

"…Yes." He replied with a sigh, ignoring Naruto's chuckle. The blonde boy was a mystery to the Nara… and if it was one thing that got the attention of a Nara, it was something confusing. And Naruto was a very confusing individual. The boy was definitely not liked by many people for reasons beyond his knowledge. That wasn't the intriguing part though.

The blonde Uzumaki was able to somehow guess not only his words but at times, the words of others. He knew the intentions of everyone around him… Shikamaru deduced that the blonde was somehow very talented at reading others. That was why Shikamaru avoided playing any sort of strategy game with him.

The record between them was 1 to 0 as Shikamaru was completely destroyed the first time he challenged Naruto to shougi or just about any variation of chess on the planet. The blonde not only shamed him but he had countered all of his tactics with his own. For every move, Naruto had a counter move that often placed him in a threatmate or brinkmate. It was as if the blonde could read minds… though he found the possibility very low.

Naruto was definitely not someone to trifle with. And for some reason, he could hear others speaking with his earphones blasting music 24/7. It confused the hell out of him.

"Graduation is tomorrow. You up to it?" He heard Naruto ask him.

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too hard… only a stupid bunshin (Clone), kawarimi (Replacement) and henge (Transformation) for the practical which is weighted as 40 percent of the whole test. 60 percent of the test is the written portion…which is easy as well." Naruto agreed with his friend's deduction.

"Hm… too easy though. Think there might be some secondary test to throw us off?" Naruto spoke, eyes narrowing.

"Maybe…I wouldn't be surprised." Before they could finish their conversation, the chuunin teacher walked through the door. His aura a commanding one as everyone immediately looked at attention.

"Tomorrow will be the day of your graduation. I hope you have all prepared accordingly." Iruka said, his voice calming any anxious child.

"Yes, sensei!" The class said together, excluding a few.

"Good. Now, we'll be reviewing today so get into lines!" Everyone nodded and proceeded to follow their teacher's directions.

Naruto sighed, it was gonna be a long morning now…

* * *

Four terribly boring hours later, Naruto was finally released from the academy, now free to go anywhere he pleased. Walking down the road and noticing that everyone was simply disregarding his existence, he sighed. The blonde was patient… and he was willing to wait for the village to come to terms with their grief.

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto knew exactly why people hated him. They… just couldn't look at him. Naruto knew that they weren't doing it because they hated Uzumaki Naruto the boy but rather they hated what he contained, the Nine Tailed Demon fox and unfortunately, at the moment, were one in the same with him. Naruto wasn't some sort of specialized therapist but he knew enough about the human mentality and how they subconsciously find ways to cope with pain and grief. In a way, Naruto would be willing to forgive them.

But twelve years of this was slowly grating his patience. Naruto was not the ultimate god of good will and forgiveness.

The blonde stopped thinking when he suddenly arrived at his destination. Higurashi Weapons… one of the few placed he liked shopping at. Entering the store, he saw many sharp, pointy objects along with various types of armor. Noticing that the counter was empty, he walked to the section that was filled with shinobi gearing.

He took a look at his little toad wallet/purse or whatever it was, noticing that it had just enough for a few pieces of armor. The blonde smiled.

"_Shin guards would be nice, so will a light chest armor. Something… concealable." _The blonde picked out a pair of shin guards with a spiral design on them along with a light weighted plate of armor that was fabricated to wear within a shirt.

"_Hmm… even with that, I could still use a primary weapon… Nah, kunai will do for now. No need in spending money on a bunch of junk."_

He brought his items to the counter and rung the bell. Not a moment later, a tall man walked in from the back door, smiling brightly at his customer.

"Naruto-kun, I see you've been getting ready for your graduation…" The blonde grinned and nodded.

"Sure am, Ensensei-san." Ensensei was a man Naruto had met long ago. The blonde found the man to be very welcoming… and not to mention his prices were fair.

"Armor huh? Not confident in your Taijutsu?" He teased, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde Jinchuuriki.

"Not quite. It never hurts to over prepare, am I correct?" The elder man nodded sagely, he himself being a shinobi once in his life as well. Though… he was given a rather swift retirement due to an injury.

"Indeed. Anyways, Tenten has been asking for ya! You should drop by on one of her shifts sometimes too you know." Higurashi Tenten was the adopted daughter of Higurashi Ensensei. Like Naruto, she was a young shinobi that was only a mere one year ahead of the boy himself.

"Maah… I try to you know. But her training regime is too erratic and frankly, it's hard to guess when she's in or out." Ensensei nodded, remembering scolding the girl for being late to work several times in the past. The man knew it was hopeless, knowing her sensei was quite a… odd one.

"Well I guess that can't be helped. So how've you been kid?" Naruto brought his hand up to his chin in a thinking pose.

"I've been decent. The other day, I went to the Library and looked up a few scrolls on the basics of elemental techniques. I know that my affinity is wind… but Konoha has limited documentation on that certain element." Naruto explained casually, frustrated with his halted training regime.

"Interesting… if you are indeed a wind type, then it would be hard to find any help around here. Wind types are rare here… but tell you what, if you do me a favor, I'll pull some strings and get a supplier to get you some of those scrolls." Naruto had to think about the offer.

"Depends. What do you want me to do?" Ensensei smirked.

"I want you to go to the Forest of Death and get something from there. It's in the Level three section so be careful!" Naruto snorted in amusement.

"Only Level 3? Shouldn't be too hard. I've been training there for a while now and I'm preparing to move onto Level 4." The elder man widened his eyes.

"Really? Not bad kid… You really remind me of this one strong shinobi back in the day, ya know. He was about your age when he entered Level 4." Of course, the Forest of Death was quite a popular place. It was common knowledge that you had to have a high skill level to get to Level 4 at his age.

"Maah, I think we both know that skill levels are only "roughly" measured there. I only go because I have nothing better to do… and it helps me become a better shinobi." The man chuckled and ruffled the blonde's hair.

"Good for you, Naruto-kun. At this rate you're going, you might become the Hokage." The blonde actually laughed at the thought.

"And be stuck in a tower doing paperwork and appeasing the daily needs of the rich and spoiled "nobility" of Konoha. No thanks!" They both shared a laugh at that.

"Anyways…I have to get going. Can you tell me the specifics of your favor so I can get it done? I'm heading to the Forest of Death after this." Ensensei nodded and pulled out a small piece of paper, writing directions for the blonde.

"Here, it's not too far out. Have fun, Naruto-kun." The blonde nodded.

"No problem… I'll drop by when I get your…" Naruto took a look at the paper with the specifics and face palmed himself.

"Icha-Icha Paradise book..." Ensensei laughed at full volume when he saw Naruto's expression of exasperation.

"You adults… now I've read the book and it was ok at best… but why are so many people so obsessed with the thing." The elder man shrugged.

"It has a good plot too you know." Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"The plot was mediocre and cliché. Personally, I think Jiraiya's first book was the best… Now why can't he go back to that style of writing?" Naruto mused as he left the store, paying for his items before he did.

Ensensei smirked when Naruto was out of sight.

"You only liked the first book because you were named after the main character."

* * *

Half an hour later, Naruto had equipped his new armor on and appreciated the feeling of protection it gave him. The shin guards were easy to adapt to while the chest plate would lower the blonde's speed by a bit. It wouldn't be long before Naruto would get used to the feeling.

The soon to be shinobi took out a piece the piece of paper Ensensei had given him and looked over the directions, not wanting to miss out any details.

_Normally, I wouldn't trust this job to anyone unless they were genin or higher… but I trust your skills, Naruto-kun. There is a small shack in the eastern section of the Level 3 area of the Forest of Death. It used to be a safe house for me when I was an up and coming shinobi but after that, I didn't have much use for it! Unfortunately, I forgot to get the Icha-Icha Paradise book that I kept there and I want you to retrieve it. Kakashi-san would be angry with me if I lost his book…_

Naruto had no idea the man could write so fast… I mean, did he really need to tell him a story for such a simple job. The blonde was amused… he was doing a job for shinobi and he hadn't even graduated yet. Though there was another thought that caught him.

"_Kakashi-san is a fan of Icha-Icha? Hm… that would explain all the glares women give him… Ah well, I don't know him that well so it's not a surprise." _

And with that thought, Naruto sped into the forest. He knew that there were beasts in this part and he knew for fact that he could defeat anything here. Whether it was by Taijutsu, Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, the blonde shinobi was quite adept at all three.

As he was searching for the shack, Naruto caught the sight of a tree sized bear. Now normally a child of his age would be frightened but Naruto was a shinobi in training…and there was no way this thing could in any way intimidate him. Naruto put his hands in the ram seal and began to focus chakra into his body.

The bear rushed him at mediocre speeds, his claws ready to pounce on the smaller form if Naruto. The blonde dodged easily and threw a chakra enhanced cross, connecting with the bears sides and sent it stumbling back in pain. Knowing the bear was in a daze; Naruto rushed him and delivered more striking hits to its body. Soon, the bear flopped to the floor defeated, leaving Naruto to smile.

"_Practicing out here has done wonders for my battle experience…" _Naruto had discovered this place when he was a mere nine years old. Ever since Ensensei had told him about it, Naruto just couldn't stop himself from going every day from then on. Why wouldn't he? Not many people go there anymore. It's quiet and filled with animals that kill each other without discrimination.

He loved the damn place because it was awesome. It was a damn shame that his house wasn't out here instead of in the village. Hell, he loved the mere thought of it.

Breaking off from his muse, he proceeded to continue his search for the shack. On his way, he encountered a few more beasts that were easily dispatched. After two hours, Naruto found the place.

Before he got in, Naruto felt a presence behind him. Turning around, he found himself in the presence… of a very familiar face.

"Well if it isn't the gaki himself. My seals alerted to me that a gaki had entered the premises and I just had to wonder… out of all the dumb kids I know, which one would be dumb enough to come all the way out here?" She brought her hands to a thinking pose, smirking as she eyed the kid in front of her. The woman was dressed in a brown trench coat, mini skirt and mesh armor. She had violet hair and a rack that men would kill for. Oddly, Anko was quite proud of it.

"Anko... you haven't been around lately. Ji-chan been giving you missions?" The woman nodded.

"Yup! Now, what the hell are you doing around here? I own these parts of the woods, gaki." She deadpanned, eyes searching him much to the boy's discomfort at being stared down.

"Just picking something up for Ensensei. He wanted me to get a book that he left here." Anko suddenly grinned and pulled something out from her equipment pouch. It was an orange book.

"Oh ~ you mean this?" Naruto eyed the book and confirmed that it was indeed what he was looking for.

"Yeah, that's it. Mind if I take it?" The woman shook her head in the negative, grinning widely.

"Not until you do me a favor!" The blonde sighed.

"And what is that?" Even though Naruto had a good idea of what she wanted, he played along.

"Get me some…" Anko was cut off instantly.

"Dango, yeah sure." Naruto finished for her, smirking at his soon to be superior.

"Ahhhh… you know too well! Now get going, brat!" Naruto nodded and complied with the order, running off to the closest stand.

Anko shook her head and entered the shack, a smile adjourning her face. The first time they met was a little over two years ago when Naruto was still ten and had begun to enter the Level 3 area of the forest. At first, the woman thought he was just some dumb fool that for lost but she was instantly proved wrong when saw his training regime. The boy was improving at an incredible pace… and this was without the aid of the academy. His Taijutsu katas were not academy issued she had recognized when they first met, in fact they looked awfully familiar to a style she had seen up in Kumo.

"_The kid really likes to throw quick punches and strong holds… Damn, watching the brat powerbomb a bear was freaking hilarious. I should spy in on his training more often, it's better than television."_ Anko didn't know where the brat had learned his techniques but she didn't pay it too much thought. The world of shinobi was full of surprises and this was nothing compared to the biggest ones she's seen.

"_His Genjutsu is pretty mediocre….well for a brat, it's really good but compared to a seasoned chuunin, it's pretty average. I'm pretty sure he could defeat just about anyone in his class." _In the beginning, Naruto was never really interested in the illusion aspects of shinobi. That perspective began to change into though, when he realized that Genjutsu was an excellent tool for slowing down opponents.

"_His Ninjutsu is also above average. He can use one or two Suiton (Water) techniques… and I saw him use a Doton once but it was really weak. Neither of them are his affinity, obviously. If I had to guess… he'd probably a wind." _Anko knew of the lack of wind users in Konoha and apparently, Naruto didn't know any of them. She was considering pointing him in the direction of one after he came back; after all, the brat was a good kid though mentally unstable in a way.

"_He sure as hell doesn't act like it though… but I know better. His eyes are proof." _She stopped her line of thinking when she sensed the return of her young friend, carrying in a bag.

"Yo, Anko! I got the stuff." He sat at the table in the shack, placing out small plates so they can share the meal.

Anko grinned and threw him the book, watching him catch it without looking. She always wondered how he was able to predict the actions of others but she had long given up on figuring it out. Anko just figured the boy just had a gift for reading people.

"Hearts." Naruto mumbled quietly. Anko raised a brow.

"Huh?" Naruto smiled and shook his head, not answering and just placed the food on the plate.

"Nothing… so how's the Jounin life? I heard you have to go to the village shrink every two weeks for a "mental" checkup." The blonde smirked. Anko laughed as she downed her first meatball.

"Yeah… Inoichi is a pretty cool guy to talk to. You wouldn't even be able to tell that he was once part of one of the best teams in Konoha." She replied in earnest, after she was betrayed by Orochimaru, it was Inoichi that had helped her along the way. The woman respected him for his work.

"That's good. You know he has a daughter that's in my graduating class. Her name's Ino and she is very bad for my mental health." Anko smirked.

"I feel sorry for Inoichi, having to deal with his daughter who is a huge fan girl." Naruto continued but was then interrupted.

"What? Is she really that bad as a shinobi?" Anko asked, voice turning a bit serious for once.

"She's not bad per say but without her extra training regime at home, she wouldn't even be graduating. Ino can fight… but she doesn't understand the line of work." Now, the violet haired woman raised a brow.

"And you do?" She countered. Naruto nodded.

"Maybe not like you but I understand that our work heavily relies on trust and teamwork. To be honest, only a few people in my graduating class really understands."

"And who are they?" Naruto began to sit up and think.

"Nara Shikamaru is a really good analyzer and is well versed in tactics. Aburame Shino is also very skilled at analyzing things and will most likely become the ace of whatever team he's selected into. Hyuuga Hinata, the top kunoichi in my class…well in my opinion at least and she's a beast Taijutsu fighter. She's also mentally prepared for the job if her acting skills are as good as it seems." Naruto was cut off again.

"Acting?" The blonde smirked.

"She's really good at acting weak. For a Hyuuga, it's really weird and yet, it's incredible. Most Hyuuga have the samurai look while she acts like a true shinobi. It is admiring and frankly, she's probably far superior than she lets on. I have no doubt… that she is the best shinobi in the class." Anko was shocked by the revelation. It was interesting to hear the opinion of someone as good as the blonde that was in front of her.

"What about you? Is she better than you?" Naruto sighed.

"If we were to fight all out and in equal circumstances, I would probably win by a small margin. My ninjutsu is very limited and I wouldn't dare approach her in a Taijutsu fight. She's proved time and again, that she can defeat anyone in the class in Taijutsu. Uchiha Sasuke, the rookie of the year or whatever it's called also admitted that she was better at Taijutsu than him. And that's saying something because he isn't known to be humble." Anko nodded, it made sense for a Hyuuga to be the best hand to hand fighter. It was almost a tradition in the academy. But the woman couldn't shake off the feeling that Naruto was just trying to be humble with his skills.

"Wow… I didn't know the academy shrimps had gotten so good. Anyone else worth mentioning?"

"Well yeah… Uchiha Sasuke is balanced and very good at fighting. I don't know much about him, not that I really care. He's probably going to graduate… but it's up to his ego. He needs to accept that fact that he's not invincible and will lose sometime. The sooner he knows this, the better. Other than that, he would probably be one of the only people I'd work with in the class. If I got to choose my own team, I'd pick Shikamaru and Hinata but…that's doubtful since Shikamaru is gonna be paired with Ino and Chouji." The Ino-Shika-Chou trio was a famous combination in Konoha, Anko figured.

"Sasuke's gonna be paired with the dead last… Some random kid and the top Kunoichi, Sakura."

"And that leaves you?" She questioned.

"I don't know…I don't exactly do well with paper tests but I know just enough to pass. I rank somewhere in the top ten because of that. So I have no idea who my teammates are gonna be."

"Hm…" Anko had an idea of what was gonna happen but there was no way in hell was she gonna tell him. Of course, that is if he didn't read her mind or something.

"Anyways… I have to get going. I have to get this book back to Ensensei." Anko nodded and placed the plates in the bag.

"Well it was good seeing you again gaki. We should do this more often." Naruto nodded and began to leave. Anko on the other hand took off in another direction towards her home, tired after a long day of work. The conversation with the brat was definitely interesting…maybe the academy shrimps will surprise her after all.

* * *

Back at Higurashi's shop, Naruto was standing in front of the store. The day was long but it felt fulfilling in a way. The blonde talked to some of his friend, something he had very few of. Walking in to the store, he spotted another familiar face. She had brown eyes and black hair that was tied into a bun shape. The girl was currently reading a magazine.

"Tenten." Said girl looked up from what she was doing, searching for the voice until she noticed the blonde at the door.

"Naruto! It's been a while, how've you been?" The blonde smiled.

"I've been decent. And you?" She sighed and put down her magazine and jumped over the counter. Naruto was tall in comparison to her and the age the difference was a whole year. The blonde was about 5'7 in her estimate, probably the second tallest in his class.

"Stressed. My Jounin-sensei is an animal that trains 24/7. Don't get me wrong, he's a great teacher and he's helped me a lot but he's so… eccentric." Naruto chuckled.

"All great men and women have a quirk. At least his is something that will help him better himself and the future generation." Tenten nodded in agreement.

"You know, you should come by more often. Gai-sensei has finally given us a regular schedule. I come off training at about 5:00 in the afternoon now." Naruto nodded.

"That sounds fantastic. Maybe you can tell me the stories of your adventures as a rookie genin." She smiled, nodding.

"That sounds great." And with that, they began to converse for a little over an hour more.

When the sun had set, Naruto had finally left but not before giving Tenten Ensensei's book. Tenten didn't know what to think about the boy but there was one for sure, he was pleasant company. The guy was charismatic in a way and she couldn't help but be drawn in.

They had met at the orphanage many years ago and shared a room as children. In a way, she thought of him as a little brother that she never had. Tenten knew of his troubles with sleeping… hence why she did her best to help him over the years. That was how their bond was formed. Back in the day, it was all about survival for them due to Konoha's recession that was a result of the Kyuubi attack. After a few years, Naruto was given an apartment and Tenten was adopted by Ensensei. The man was unable to adopt Naruto for unknown reasons… but nonetheless, everything turned out ok. She just hoped Naruto would do well with his insomniac problem.

She sighed… there was a conspiracy going on and Tenten knew it involved Naruto. She didn't particularly like being kept in the dark but she had no choice in the matter. For now…she was content.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Naruto stared into a tube of pills he had received from the hospital to help in his insomnia issue. He sighed…and downed them following with a gulp of tap water.

"Another night…"

* * *

The next day, Naruto's morning routine repeated. He woke up at around 5 in the morning to train and went the academy. It was graduation day so he figured being early was a good idea.

Entering the room, he noticed his sensei at the chalk board looking a bit worse for wear.

"Are you ok, Iruka-sensei?" The man turned his head and smiled when saw the boy. He wore his usual black shirt and dark green shorts that reached his knees. The only difference was the new black shin guard he wore.

"Yeah. Thanks…I'm just a little tired." That much was obvious… the blonde nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well you should start taking in easy, sensei. A vacation would help you tons." Iruka chuckled.

"No, no. I haven't worked long enough for a decent vacation yet." Naruto shrugged and went to his seat.

Waiting for about half an hour for everyone to file in, he noted the concentrated look everyone had on their face. Iruka stood up and began to speak.

"Today will be the testing for genin! Now, it will start with a paper test. The practical will consist of a perfect performance of the three techniques you have been taught." Everyone nodded.

"Let us begin…"

* * *

Naruto grinned as he held his black colored fore-head protector. The test was way too easy in his opinion but he wasn't complaining. He continued to go on about his day. He was planning on training a bit more in the Forest of Death to finalize his evaluation of his personal skill level.

The blonde couldn't wait for tomorrow. Once he knew his team training schedule, he would be able to set up a better training regime.

Naruto went about his day in a routine like fashion… then went home to get a good night's sleep.

* * *

The morning after, Naruto found himself walking to the academy at a leisurely pace. It was a nice day out and the wind was soothing to the bone. His earphones were blasting so he could hardly hear a thing other than it which he was glad for.

Naruto sighed when he heard the sound of yelling coming from behind him. The blonde did his best to ignore it but that was impossible as two girls ran right into him like a brick wall. Naruto fell down to his face, not expecting such a thing to happen. He looked back and saw Sakura and Ino, ear to ear looking down at him with apologetic looks on their faces.

"S-sorry about that." Sakura squeaked out, Ino nodding right along. Naruto sighed and waved them off and told them it was ok.

"You two are in a rush…" Ino grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah! Forehead here was trying to get to Sasuke-kun before me and there was no way in hell that was gonna happen if I could help it!" She spoke as if inspired. Sakura glared at her and was about to start an argument before the blonde intervened.

"Maah… friends shouldn't fight. Besides, if you two don't hurry…someone else will get to the guy…" Naruto was doing his absolute best to get rid of the two. Smiling as they widened their eyes in realization and sprinted at full speeds to the academy.

"Those two are really easy to manipulate…" Naruto mused as he continued his leisurely walk. In half an hour or so, he arrived to see more than a few new genins there. In the corner was Sakura and Ino, both bothering Sasuke equally. Said boy was currently rubbing his head in annoyance. In the middle of the room, he saw Shikamaru flanked by Shino and Chouji, who was in his regular seat. At the top row was the Taijutsu ace, Hyuuga Hinata. He saw an open seat next to Hinata and decided to strike up a friendly conversation.

"Hinata." Said girl turned her eyes and smiled shyly at him. Naruto almost rolled his eyes… but he knew for a fact that she did like him. Usually, she acted shy around everyone but around him, it was genuine.

"You passed with one of the top scores in the class. Congratulations." She nodded, trying to maintain eye contact with him.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I-it was nothing." And there was the stutter. Naruto smiled genuinely.

"I guess that speaks volumes of your skill, seeing as the test was _nothing_." Hinata blushed at the praise and nodded.

"Well I just wanted to wish you luck. I've hoped to be placed on a team with you but it's a long shot seeing as how we're top students." The mere thought of that depressed her a little.

"W-well let us hope for the best." Naruto nodded and sat in silence, waiting for Iruka to arrive.

Five minutes later, said teacher arrived in with a list of teams. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he spotted a few of the names from the corner of his eyes.

"Hm…" He grunted, as Iruka began to talk.

"I would like to take some time to congratulate you all for becoming genin. I would like to wish you all luck! Now for team assignments." Everyone leaned forward.

"Team 1!" Naruto noticed that everyone that was assigned on teams 1 through 6 were students with below average scores. Now that was suspicious to him…seeing as how these teams were supposed to encourage balance.

"Team 7, Haruno Sakura, Eisho Ikutski and Uchiha Sasuke." A loud scream was heard as Sakura began to prance around, thanking true love where ever it was. It was an amusing sight to watch for the class and a miserable one for the other fan girls.

"Team 8, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata." The pale eyed girl lowered her head slightly, sad that she wasn't paired with Naruto. But she would be professional.

"Team 9…well that's odd. Uzumaki Naruto, you will report to training ground 40 to meet your instructor. Apparently, you're the odd number and you will be kept on the reserve until teammates are available for you." Surprisingly, Naruto liked it. It gave him a lot of time to himself for training. He could feel the envious glare from Sasuke from the corner of the room.

"Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji." The sound of a head hitting the table was heard from two placed. One from Ino and the other from Shikamaru. Naruto chuckled lightly.

"You are to meet your instructors in an hour. Again, I wish you all luck." And with that, everyone began to converse among themselves. A few leaving and others staying to wait.

"Well that's a shame. I guess I have to go and get to training ground 40 to meet my instructor. I hope we get to work together soon, Hinata." The girl nodded and smiled.

"I feel the same way. Good bye for now, Naruto-kun." And with that, Naruto walked out to meet his new instructor. He had a weird feeling about the meeting but didn't dwell too much on it.

* * *

Naruto took a moment to study his surroundings. Training ground 40 was a forest that was secluded from the other places. Not to mention that his place was dangerously close to the Forest of Death. He frowned when he noticed a paper on the floor. He approached it with caution and picked it up. The paper had a message.

_Uzumaki Naruto, you are to meet me in Training ground 44, area 3 in the north western section, near the entrance to Level 4. This letter will disintegrate exactly fifteen seconds after you touch it. _

For the first time in a long time, Naruto felt excitement rip through his body. He had a sensei that frequented the Forest of Death. As he felt the letter burn up into nothing, he looked up to the sky.

"_Forest of Death, here I come."_

* * *

It took about twenty minutes for Naruto to arrive in the area. A kunai in his hands as he had to dispatch a few wild beasts on the way here. He took in his surroundings and approached the gate to Level 4 but stopped when he sensed the presence of a man. The blonde widened his eyes as the chakra seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Turning his head to right to the source of chakra, he saw a figure standing on top of a massive rock with his back turned to the blonde. The figure wore a nothing but a black cloak that and a hood that covered his hair. On his cloak was a cape that was only worn on his right shoulder, it had an unfamiliar sign on it.

Naruto approached the rock, stopping when a deep voice spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The blonde nodded.

"Hai."

The figure turned around and Naruto widened his eyes as he took a look at where his face would be. The figure wore a dragon mask, signifying his membership in ANBU.

"I will be testing you today, Uzumaki Naruto." If it was one thing Naruto knew, it was the fact that this man was no regular ANBU. The cape on his cloak signified his powerful position. "_I am the General of the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_ division, ANBU for short. Now…let's get started, boy."

* * *

**END**

Well, I hope you enjoyed the beginning. There will be many secrets that I will be keeping from you readers… just to make things more fun. If you're wondering about Naruto's abilities, I'll make them known in time. It also ties with his knowledge of the Kyuubi and such.

As for Bashing... nope, not my style. At times it will seem like I am but it won't be anything permanent. If you're looking for heavy bashing, I would gladly point you in the direction of a good story that bashes just about everyone.

As for Hinata, yeah, I made her stronger. She's a freakin Hyuuga so I figured she should have been stronger than she was in the show and manga.

As for the ANBU General, the cape he's wearing is like what the guy in Assassin's Creed has except it's black and ties around his shoulders.

As for the forest of death, I did this to make things more interesting. I hope people are smart enough to figure out that the levels of skill aren't meant to be accurate.

Well that's it. Later…


	2. Recruited

A/N – Here's chapter 2. I saw a few critiques but I knew they were coming since I purposely left out the obvious explanation. Before I start, I wanted to mention that the beginning of this whole story is a little Naruto centric but…hey, I need to give you guys a piece of what he can do before I start focusing on the main storyline.

* * *

_"False face must hide what the false heart doth know."_

_- William Shakespeare, Macbeth, 1.7_

* * *

Naruto was confused.

After meeting a man that mysteriously proclaimed himself as the so called "General" of the ANBU division for the first time, he was lead to a semi large clearing somewhere in the Level 4 area of the Forest of Death. The clearing was surrounded by tall trees that blocked the sun completely, resulting in a huge shadow being cast around for miles. This was Naruto's first time in Level 4 and the blonde's excitement was starting get grated with his nerves. The atmosphere here was heavier and denser, making breathing slightly more than second hand.

The blonde could almost hear the stalking of wild beasts around him… almost as if they were waiting for him to let his guard down for just a moment…and strike. Naruto wasn't scared though, why would he? As far as he was concerned, he was already more than prepared to take on the beasts here. Letting the thought reassure him, he calmly began to survey his surroundings in a discreet manor. The forest was dead silent except for the casual noise leaves made when they were blown by wind.

Before long, Naruto felt the man's stare, if that was even possible. The man in front of him gave a strange aura and yet, his guard was completely down. The ANBU stood in front of him relaxed, as if he was at home rather than a forest filled with dangerous animals.

"Did you come prepared?" The blonde heard the man's voice as he spoke. It was deep, controlled and most of all, commanding.

"Yes." Naruto replied, doing his best impression of a Hyuuga. The General nodded and silently cleared his throat.

"As you may have figured out, genin are given secondary tests to weed out the trash. According to protocol, genin are placed teammates that balance one another so they are able to work together well." Naruto nodded, knowing that beforehand.

"However, the genin tests are designed to trick students into working alone and thus failing. Again, I am sure you know of this." The man continued his explanation, his voice deep and apathetic. Naruto nodded, knowing that as well.

"Whatever team that is able to figure out the trick and pass the test as a team will become full time genin. The failures are sent to remedial courses to teach them the importance of teamwork. Again…I'm sure you know of this." The man's tone hinted at something and that worried the blonde genin a bit.

"You on the other hand…you are different and thus, we cannot give you the regular test." Naruto narrowed his eyes and began to remove his headphones. Though it was unseen, the General smirked at the sudden gesture.

"Don't bother trying, boy." Naruto widened his eyes but was cut off when the ANBU continued speaking.

"I know all about your "secret" abilities, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi... Uzumaki Naruto, do you even know what your secret ability is called or did you just go on with life…never bothering to question the gift you received?" Naruto narrowed his eyes further, though he was shocked by his knowledge.

"… Seeing as how you use headphones, I'm sure you can't even control the power." The ANBU ended, watching the boy's shock turn into curiosity in a matter of seconds. Naruto regained his composure in an instant and took a small breathe.

"How?" Was all he said.

"One, you just told me." The young Jinchuuriki twitched and decided not to answer to let the ANBU finish his explanation/

"Two, ever since the day you could walk and think, I've had ANBU tailing you from the very start, keeping track of your activities, no matter what and where you were. After many reports of your unusual behavior, I came to a conclusion. Hell…I bet I knew what you had before you did, Uzumaki." Naruto nodded, it made sense in a way but he couldn't help but feel a little violated personally. This man in front of him probably knew more about him then himself and that was a little weird.

"Who else knows?"

"No one. I have no intention on reporting this to the Hokage." The young genin was confused at that remark. He was even more confused by his own inability to read the General. The man's head was as silent as a corpse and his heart was steeled like metal. Naruto had never met a single person that he couldn't read and frankly, that kind of made the boy slightly afraid. This was the first time Naruto ever met someone and not understand their true intentions.

"Isn't that insubordination?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"Yes." If the situation wasn't so serious, he would have fallen over by the sheer boldness of the answer.

"You know that if you're caught…" The ANBU waved him off.

"The Hokage's crystal ball cannot reach this far."

"Isn't that…I don't know…really, really bad?" The General shrugged, uncaring.

"Would you rather I tell the Hokage and have him send you to a mental institution to wipe all of your memories and seal away your power, thus creating a monopoly effect that would erase all of your muscle memory including the knowledge of your Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu abilities? No… I know for a fact that you wouldn't want that. You are like your father…after all." Naruto nodded, he knew of that as well. He knew why he wasn't told as well which is why the blonde never bothered asking the old man. Naruto knew the man told him many lies and over the years, he just adapted to listening to their hearts rather than their mouths. The young Jinchuuriki held no grudge against the Hokage… after all, the past is in the past. The present is now… and right now, Naruto knew he was very powerful.

"You're right…this power is a curse but losing my freedom is too large a cost for a dream that will never come to fruition." The General nodded, knowing that would be his answer.

"Excellent…now, there is no use for you to take a regular genin test. Luckily, I managed to persuade the Hokage to allow you into ANBU. He argued with me for a long time, telling me that you deserved a normal life and not one that mirrors Uchiha Itachi or Hatake Kakashi…but it is far too late for that, isn't it?" Naruto sighed and nodded. It was a lifetime too late for a normal life in his case.

"So what will you have me do?"

"First, I want to know the limit of your _Reishi, _the Jinchuuriki ability you possess._" _The blonde quirked a brow but then widened his eyes in realization.

"Is that what it's called?" The General nodded and explained.

"_Reishi (Reading the Heart) _is an incredible power that has not been seen in the world for many years. I'm sure you know of this. Now, tell me of your control of over it." Naruto nodded slowly.

"I can read the other person's thoughts… but it is too difficult to control in a crowded area. As for the heart...there has been a few times when I can differentiate good intentions with sinister ones but to be frank, I have seen very few good intentions. I cannot read someone's heart without complete focus." The General took a moment to process the information.

"I see. That is to be expected…this power has not been seen in many years... Now, I will be evaluating your skills as a shinobi…-" Naruto was preparing a stance before the man halted him.

"-…Some other time. I'm sure the others are wondering where I am right now so I will take the rest of this time to inform you on how this is going to work." Naruto nodded.

"It has been a long time since I have come out into the open but you must understand, I only did this for two reasons. One, you utilize Reishi and only I know of it. Two, you are a Jinchuuriki thus, I felt that I had to come here personally and see to this matter. Now… when a genin with exceptional skill is recruited to ANBU, there are certain protocols that you must complete. First, you must receive recommendation from a shinobi that is at the very least a Jounin. Second, you must undergo a four month training regime every day from 3 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. After completing your daily training, you must complete at least three D-ranked missions to keep a cover. When you complete this four month training, your skills will be completely evaluated to determine what branch you fit in the most." Naruto widened his eyes at the sheer difficulty of the schedule…it made sense now, how so many ninjas cracked.

"You will not receive any mission that requires you to leave the village until this training is completed as well. The training will be strictly focused on reducing your weaknesses while at the same time, increasing your strengths. You will also be shown every chakra control exercise known to Konoha. Following that, you will be taught the basic techniques of Medic-ninja. It is a requirement for all ANBU to know basic medical techniques, elemental manipulation and proficient with at least one type of close combat style. Whether it be your martial arts, a sword, a dagger or a spear. It does not matter what type but you must be proficient at it." Naruto gulped and nodded, he was confident that he could handle it. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter anyways.

"When this four month training is complete, you will be promoted immediately to chuunin. From there on, you will be assigned ANBU missions and receive ANBU credits. To get to Jounin, you must complete at least twenty A-ranked missions along with forty B-ranked missions." The man than pulled out a scroll from his cloak and gave it to the blonde.

"These are standard protocols and rules as an ANBU trainee. If they are broken, you will be sent to the mental institute to have your memory wiped of everything ANBU. The address you are to report to every morning will be written in there along with blank mask." Naruto nodded again.

"Be prompt..." And with that, the man vanished the moment Naruto blinked. The blonde looked at the scroll in his hands, unable to grasp the surreal feeling.

"Wow…did that just happen."

* * *

An hour later, Naruto found himself at the Higurashi shop, shopping for a suitable weapon. He figured that if he was gonna master a weapon, he might as well go get advice on picking one out. Tenten was known to be very proficient about the topic so he figured, she was smarter than him when it came to choosing a primary weapon.

He entered the shop and saw his friend over at the corner, reading a magazine yet again.

"The civilian news must be quite entertaining if you are reading it again." Naruto joked, walking up to the counter. Tenten looked up, seeing her headphone wearing friend and smiled sheepishly.

"Nah, it's actually pretty retarded. Apparently, our village is home to many celebrities and actors. The media record things like their daily lives and what they do every second of the day. I don't even know why I'm reading it." Naruto chuckled.

"I suppose it is because you have nothing better to do." The blonde replied. Tenten sighed, admitting to the fact.

"Yeah… I'm a pretty boring person outside being a shinobi." She replied, not knowing how to answer the blonde boy's statement.

"Meh, at least you aren't some fan girl. Now that would be a terrible look for you." Naruto said, ignoring the Tenten's slight glare at him.

"Don't you dare compare me to those… those… disgraces!" She retorted in a high pitched voice, face turning slightly red in anger. Naruto put his hands up innocently, smiling calmly as always.

"Maah, it was a joke. I'm sorry, Tenten." She calmed much to Naruto's relief.

"So, how was the genin test?" Now, Naruto knew that he had to come up with some sort of lie. He knew that telling her about the ANBU proposition would get him kicked out of the program.

"I was the odd numbered student so they gave me instructions on how the reserve genin work. I can go on missions with different teams if a situation arises." Naruto said, smiling at the thought. He liked the idea even more than the original one of being put on a team.

"That is soooo cool! You get to meet new people!" Tenten was a little jealous. After all, one of her life long goal was to become famous and getting to meet new people was a massive step. But instead, she was stuck with an insane sensei, a miniature clone of him and a quiet, emotionally scarred boy. It wasn't like Tenten disliked her teammates, annoyed by them but definitely not dislike, she just enjoyed meeting new people.

"I guess." Naruto replied, a bit skeptic at the thought. Hopefully the Hokage would give him missions with people that didn't hate him in particular. That would save the blonde a lot of stress in the future.

"So what's up? Did you just come to chat me up or…?" The young Jinchuuriki nodded.

"I've decided to take on a primary weapon so I came for advice." She widened her eyes slightly and smirked.

"Is that so? And you came to me because you knew how awesome I am?" She boasted loudly, eliciting a chuckle.

"Yes, yes. I came to you because I am clearly a clueless fan boy of yours that has no knowledge of weapons. Will you help me, Tenten-dono?" He replied sarcastically. Tenten guffawed, ruffling the boy's hair…only to stop as she realized the height difference and blushed in embarrassment.

"Follow me to the back and I'll see what fits." Naruto nodded and followed suit.

As they entered through the storage room, the blonde couldn't help but look at awe of the sheer amount of metal in the room. On every wall, there was a weapon that went with it. On the far corner of the room, he spotted a guan dao that was glowing as if made for royalty. In another corner of the room, the bright shine of a beautifully made nodachi made its way to his eye.

"Wow. I wonder how you resist playing with all these every day." He joked quickly only for the older girl to snort.

"Please, I have all this in one scroll." She chirped happily. Naruto shook his head, actually expecting the answer.

"I should have known…"

Ignoring him, Tenten went to one of the barrels with swords in them. Carefully looking through the barrel, she took out a particular short sword and threw it at Naruto. Catching it easily, the blonde felt the sword was a little uncomfortable to hold, hence why he frowned a little at the feel when he first caught it. This did not escape Tenten's eyes.

"I guess that's a no." Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"I haven't even practiced with it yet. How would you know?" Tenten then got into a sort of lecture mode at the question.

"You see Naruto, Ensensei has always taught me that everyone has a subconscious "preference" of sorts when it comes to weapons. Only masters can truly understand this fully but when I saw you frown the moment you caught the sword, I knew it wasn't for you. Even right now, you hold the sword as a mere tool instead of an extension of yourself." The blonde didn't quite understand but nodded. Who was he to argue with an expert on the subject.

Tenten began to search around the room for another weapon. After an hour of searching and many weapons being deemed unusable to Naruto, the girl was beginning to feel frustrated and fumed very openly.

"…Maybe I'm just a Taijutsu guy then…" Tenten felt a little shiver run through her spine, thoughts of Naruto becoming like Gai or Lee suddenly popping up. She couldn't let that happen even if it cost a life. The blonde sweatdropped when Tenten began to sprout a bunch of nonsense about preventing the unholy brainwashing of her younger brother and some other gibberish.

Tenten was throwing around weapons like toys, scaring the blonde with her recklessness. He was about to stop her when a medium sized box fell from the top of a shelf, landing on one of Tenten's hair buns. She carefully took the box off her head and looked at it curiously.

"What's that?" Naruto asked. The girl shrugged and took out whatever was in the box and tossing it for Naruto to catch. In the blink of an eye, Naruto used a single finger to catch it and twirled it in a flashy manner without realizing it.

On his lone finger was a three ponged kunai like weapon. It was melded in black and had an undecipherable seal on its small handle.

"Cool…" The older girl said as she eyed the small weapon. It was light and surprisingly dense according to the metal type.

"Titanium… the metal with the world's best strength to weight ratio. The ideal metal to use when crafting weapons… how did such a rare type of metal end up here?" She mused to herself but stopped when Naruto began to leave… and more importantly with the weapon.

"Oi! Where you going?" Naruto turned around and smiled brightly.

"I'm gonna learn how to use this baby." He said holding the kunai comfortably in his hand. From the very first moment he saw it, he knew that it was to be his destined weapon.

"Jeez! At least let me play with it first." She pouted…only for Naruto to shake his head.

"Tenten… I owe you a lot for finding this for me. Hell, I'll return the favor two folds. I've never seen something as beautiful and wicked as this." He held the kunai loosely with a single finger. She sighed and grinned.

"Alright…but you owe me! Don't go back on your word." Naruto smirked and placed the kunai in his holster.

"I, Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha, will make a vow that one day, I shall repay you back for your help, Higurashi Tenten. I swear it on my very pride and soul." Right out of the complete etiquette book, Naruto thought to himself. Tenten smirked fiercely.

"Well, it's not every day that I get to see you grovel before my awesomeness. Bow down before my might, minion!" It was unfortunate that by the time she finished the sentence, the blonde boy was long out of her sight. She twitched in annoyance.

"…I was really getting into the role playing too…" Pouting to herself, she went back to register to continue the rest of her shift.

* * *

_Forest of Death – Level 3_

Naruto entered his favorite training area with vigor, a large smirk adjourning his face as he immediately pulled out his new signature weapon. The black and white three ponged kunai. The young Jinchuuriki flared a fraction of his chakra to gather the attention of the wild beasts in the immediate area. Eying a giant snake as it slithered towards him; Naruto rushed it with all his speed while holding his kunai in a reverse grip, surprised when the weapon cleanly cut the beast's head off.

Gathering his composure, Naruto stood back up straight and looked directly at his newest weapon. It was light and incredibly durable like Tenten has said. Not to mention it just cut through a snake's head with relative ease.

"I think I'll call you…_ Kuroshurai (Black Lightning)."_

After an hour or so more of training, Naruto decided to go back home and rest. He could not shake off the feeling of excitement but he knew that tomorrow would be grueling. After all, he had to wake up at 3 to meet his new master.

* * *

_Secret ANBU HQ_

Naruto stared at the walls around him, studying his soon to be training ground. The place had three times the space as a regular martial arts dojo which was a good sight for him. The blonde had followed the directions the scroll had for him and easily entered the ANBU HQ. He was surprised at the amazing amounts of Genjutsu covering the entrance but he figured it was for the best. After all, why would ANBU have a public building?

Naruto was decked in a slightly new uniform for his training. The scroll the General had given him came with a forearm guards and a completely white mask. He was wearing his black shirt (with the hidden armor), dark green shorts, black shin guards, black forearm guards and a white mask. The boy also strapped a kunai holster across his right thigh, allowing him easy access to his new weapon and an equipment pouch on his waist.

"You have arrived." A dull voice spoke. Naruto turned around and saw the man he had met the other day. The General looked the same…of course that was to be expected.

"We will begin your training immediately. Four months is a short amount of time to drill knowledge into your head." Naruto nodded in understanding.

"We will begin with a spar. I want you to come at me with the intent to kill and nothing less. If you don't, then I will simply kill you and report that you died by an overdose of the Kyuubi's chakra." Naruto didn't know whether he was joking or not but decided not to dwell. He knew the rules and he was gonna play by them.

The young Jinchuuriki took a massive leap back to get gather space to begin thinking of a strategy. Reaching into his pouch, he launched a shuriken at the man while speeding through seals.

"_**Shuriken Kage Bunshin (Shuriken Shadow Clone)!" **_One turned into twenty as the man was forced to dodge the incoming attack only to see Naruto running to attack his weak side. The blonde began to attack his lower body with quick punches. The General deflected the hits and gave Naruto a knee to the stomach, sending him flying back towards the wall. Naruto got back up a moment later, his face showing the shock he was in.

"_How did he hit me that hard from such a close distance?" _As if he were reading his mind, the ANBU began to launch into an explanation.

"You are correct in being confused about that last attack. Normally, to deliver a powerful hit, you must achieve a perfect amount of spacing and timing but in my case, I didn't need to. Next time, use the weight of your body to attack rather than using your arms or legs alone. By doing this, you will be able to deliver stronger attacks at a closer distance." Naruto nodded, his hands flashing through a few seals.

"_**Tsuchi Bunshin (Earth Clones)!" **_Naruto grinned behind his mask as five rock clones accompanied him. The General narrowed his eyes, wondering where he had gotten that technique until memories of a certain report got him.

"_Ah. He learned it from a scroll Anko gave him for his eleventh birthday." _He whispered ghostly to himself, not wanting to think knowing the boy could utilize his special abilities.

Watching as the clones rushed him; the older man immediately dispatched the first three in a flash before feeling a presence behind him holding a kunai that looked very familiar. In fact, the man knew what it was the second he saw it. Dodging the kunai, he gathered some space between the two and gave Naruto a lightning fast kick to the stomach, again sending him flying.

"_The Hiraishin kunai... I did not receive any reports on him having such a thing…seeing as how they haven't been seen for almost twelve years. Did Ensensei give that to him?" _The man whispered to himself again as he saw Naruto pick himself up.

"Speed is equal to weight, boy." The General said as Naruto finished getting to his feet. He had only been hit twice and he was already feeling the fatigue hitting his body. The kicks weren't normal.

"_I can't read his thoughts like I do with everyone else. Though I doubt it would matter since his speed is far above my own." _The young Jinchuuriki thought to himself as he began to formulate another assault on the ANBU.

"The essence of tactical combat revolves around speed. You may come up with a brilliant strategy one moment but it will be all for naught if you do not execute on time or if you are too tired to even start it. Once you approach your enemy, study his habits and use it against him. Use his power and make it yours. Do it quickly and efficiently." Naruto nodded again, memorizing the lesson word for word like a mantra.

"That will be enough for now. I have made a good enough evaluation of your skills from this one fight alone. What is left now is to refine it."

From then on, Naruto began his true training. The General of the ANBU forces was a strict teacher who was always quick to point out a flaw of his. Naruto didn't mind that at all, knowing that the man had ten times the experience he, himself did. They continued the rest of the day covering various topics such as chakra control, the use of knife fighting and real time tactics along with strategies. The young Jinchuuriki knew that with every passing day, he would get stronger and by leaps and bounds at that. As of right now, he knew that experience was needed.

Naruto cut off from that line of thinking immediately. He couldn't focus on the future and present at the same time.

* * *

After training was over, Naruto felt fatigue stretch through every point of his body. At the moment, his mask was off since he was no longer at the ANBU HQ and wearing it wouldn't be appropriate. He was currently on his way to the Hokage's office to get his first mission. The blonde was not looking forward on going on these D ranked missions but it wasn't like he hated it. After all, it was an easy and quick way to make fast money.

As he entered the tower, he felt a stare from behind him. Turning around, he came face to face with the one and only team 10, consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and their sensei, Sarutobi Asuma.

"Hello." He waved casually. Shikamaru nodded to him and walked up.

"Here for a mission, Naruto?" The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, I made an appointment to pick up a mission so I could get a mission in the afternoon."

"That's not such a good idea. Most of the good D ranks are taken early…" Asuma said, grinning at the new genin.

"Oh I don't know… between the usual gardening, babysitting and the casual delivery missions, I just can't seem to find the best one of the three." Naruto replied sarcastically, eliciting a chuckle from the older man.

"True, true… but hey, delivery is the easiest one right? All speed and finesse." Naruto shrugged, unable to that logic. Ino took a look at her blonde classmate with a look of curiosity. She had never really gotten to know him but she knew that Shikamaru knew him well. Naruto was never one to talk and draw attention to himself, opting to blast music into his headphones than to talk to people.

"So…how often do you train?" She said, trying to start a conversation as they waited for their call from the Hokage.

"When I'm not on missions usually, and you?" Naruto replied, also wanting to get rid of the silence.

"Every now and then… I usually just condition but that's just about it. I'm plenty strong." She said, feeling a bit insecure about her own abilities compared to his. The Yamanaka knew that he was one of the top students in the academy and she did not want to look weak. She was to be the next heir of her family.

Naruto quirked a brow, reading her thoughts without a slight hint of guilt of invading one's personal space. He knew that the girl next to him didn't quite take training seriously so he didn't really ask about the specifics of her training to avoid some sort of argument. Now he knew that she felt insecure about her abilities.

"_Hm… maybe I should help. After all, it's nice to watch people try to improve themselves. Almost like watching a sitcom on TV." _The blonde thought to himself.

"What do you think your strengths are?"

"Well… I'm pretty good at my family techniques. Other than that, I just stick to the academy basics." She replied feeling slightly embarrassed. For some odd reason, she thought Naruto would make fun of her but that did not come which was odd because when people had strength, they also had a lot of arrogance. At first, she thought Naruto was the same...until he replied and crushed her thesis.

"That's good… sticking to the basics is a good thing. While powerful techniques are important, the basics are the very foundation of a shinobi. The Hokage for example, has mastered the basics to the point of beating just about any chuunin and low jounin leveled shinobi by just simply using the starting moves. Of course, this is not something that is easily boasted."

Ino nodded, slightly understanding the concept. Asuma smiled as he heard the words and from a genin now less.

"_Wise kid." _The Jounin thought as a woman walked into the room.

"The Hokage will be seeing you know, Sarutobi-san." The whole team stood up and began to walk into the office.

"Thanks for the advice, Naruto-san." Ino said before leaving. Though she managed to hear his last words.

"Just Naruto. The only honorifics that I will concede to are Naruto-sama or Naruto-dono and you have no need to say either of those. " He said, smirking as she chuckled.

* * *

Soon after Team Ten's departure, the young Jinchuuriki was also being called in for his mission appointment. Naruto walked in to see the man he partially looked up to, the _Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi), _Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage of Konoha and probably the most powerful man in the village, even at his age. Of course, that was probably why he made Hokage in the first place.

Surrounding the old man were five chuunins, one of whom was his old academy instructor, Umino Iruka.

"Is this what you do when you're not teaching, Iruka-senpai? It must be tough, dealing with all this paperwork every day." The middle aged man chuckled.

"Hey! I go out on missions too you know. Hokage-sama just happened to assign some chuunins to assist with paperwork." Naruto grinned and looked at the old man, whom was also watching the conversation in interest.

"Must be why he picked you, Iruka-senpai. After all, who else is patient enough to do all of this _fine _paper work." Iruka narrowed his eyes comically.

"The words come out of your mouth as a compliment but why do I feel that it is actually an insult?" Was the witty reply. Naruto shrugged.

"I dunno… pencil pusher." Before the conversation could escalate, the Hokage stepped in and calmed down the young chuunin whom was now red. He didn't know if it was by rage or embarrassment. All in all, it was all light hearted anyways so he didn't bother.

"So Naruto-kun, you have come here for your D-ranks correct?" He nodded and waited for whatever assignment he was given. The Hokage began searching through his files for a suitable mission while Iruka and the other chuunin went back to their work.

"Since you are on the reserves, you will be assigned on a joint mission with Team Gai. Do you know them?" He did if the smile on his face was any indication.

"Yes, Higurashi Tenten is a part of that team. She's a friend." Sarutobi nodded and threw him a scroll.

"Meet them in the outer walls of the village. They're doing some basic construction work and with your help, they'll finish faster. I gave them this mission about twenty minutes ago so…you better hurry up." Naruto nodded but not before asking a question.

"I don't want to sound rude but why are you sending me to do a mission that you have others assigned to? Wouldn't that be unfair to them since I arrived late and did a lesser amount of work then them?" The Hokage shook his head in the negative.

"Not at all. Think of this as a simulation for a "sending reinforcements" type of order. Besides, I doubt that those three are anywhere near done. I bet they would appreciate the help." The blonde nodded and bowed formally.

"I understand. By your leave, Hokage." The old man nodded to him and he began to take his leave.

Hiruzen looked to where the boy left and sighed.

"_I am kind of worried about assigning him to ANBU… but the question is, why did that man of all people want to train Naruto personally?" _Hiruzen was not only familiar with the ANBU general, he also knew the man as well as he knew a brother. The General was a strong and capable shinobi that, like Hiruzen himself, far surpassed anyone of his generation. He was loyal to a degree but will take matters into his own hands if he thinks necessary on any given assignment. The ANBU general was probably the most independent shinobi he'd ever met and that was partially a reason of why he'd let the man train Naruto in the first place. The Hokage trusted the man with his life.

"_What are you planning my old friend? You know how Minato wanted his son to grow up…what are you hiding from me, exactly?"_

_

* * *

_

**END**

Just another chapter to set things up. I also revealed Naruto's ability so I mind as well make the proper Disclaimer.

I do not own Naruto or Shaman King.

_Reishi (Reading the Heart) _is an ability that the main antagonist of Shaman King, Asakura Hao, once used. Whether or not you are familiar with it, I'll explain the powers full abilities soon and how the General knows about it.

Oh and one more thing. I have been deciding against writing the wave arc… why? Simple. I bet that anyone that has read more than a hundred fictions will know how it will turn out. The hero will look cool while unintentionally (or intentionally) making everyone look bad. On some occasions, even the Jounin who is supposed to be FAR superior to a regular genin would be written as inferior and incompetent. Naruto isn't regular sure but he is still quite green despite whatever circumstances.

Really, would you trust a 13 year old with your life? Even if you knew this person was the nicest kid on the planet. I wouldn't but perhaps that's just me.

Now for the true question? Is the General an OC? He might be but I have no intention on telling any of you.

Thank you for reading.


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